Combined building and water-tower



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

I W E. SMITH.

COMBINED BUILDING AND WATER TOWER.

No. 446,897. Patented Feb. 24,1891.

#1: NOnRIS PETERS co, mumumu, msmucwn n (No Model.) I 4 Sheets- Sheet 2.

W. P. SMITH. COMBINED BUILDING AND WATER TOWER. .No. 446,897; Patented Feb. 24, 1891.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet s.

W. F. SMITH,

COMBINED BUILDING AND WATER TOWER. No. 446,897. Patented Feb. 24,1891.

(N0 MQdel.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

W. P. SMITH.

GOMBINED BUILDING AND WATER TOWER. No. 446,897. Patented Feb. 24, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

WVILLIAM FITZROY SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED BUILDING AND' WATER-TOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 446,897, dated February 24, 1891.

Application filed July 11, 1890. Serial No. 358,469. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FITZROY SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Building and ater-Tower, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to construct a building the plan whereof is circular and the Walls of which are surmounted by a dome which shall be especially suitable during the summer season of the year for the placing thereinof articles demanding a uniform and low temperature-as, for instance, an aquarium with its contents ora horticultural garden; to construct a building the inside of which shall be especially agreeable to persons and animals during the summer season of the year by reason of its low and uniform tem perature; to construct a building which shall present both upon the outside and on the inside thereof a novel and beautiful appearance and a utility independent of and in addition to its utility as a water-tower; to construct a building which mayserve for the display of water, perfume, or other liquid as such liquid is exposed to view over the exterior of the dome of the building; to construct a building which, by reason of the utility thereof and its appearance, is adapted to be placed among and form one of several expo-n sition-buildings during the holding of a fair, exposition, or exhibition, while at the same time such building will form a Water-tower having the necessary stand-pipes therein and the necessary machinery connecting with such stand pipes, whereby water may be forced into such stand-pipes in such a manner that the water maybe supplied therefrom for fountains and other necessary water-supply in and about a fair, exhibition, or exposition grounds.

in which the stand-pipe shall be of sufficient height and size to supply large quantities of water over a wide area of ground, in which grounds may be placed buildings and fountains of considerable height, to a structure duplicating in appearance the large structure just described, except in size, and such smaller structure may be so extremely small as to be adapted to be placed upon a center table or other support.

I have illustrated my invention by the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of my device; Fig. 2, a vertical cross-section with the covering and galleries removed from the structural parts on the right side of the figure; Fig. 3, a horizontal cross-section of the walls of the combined building and water-tower, showing a plan View of the ground floor to the righthand side of the figure and of the basement with some of the working parts required on the left-hand side; Fig. 4, a plan View of the dome of the structure with a portion of the outer covering removed therefrom on the lower right side of the figure, showing the structural parts thereof; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of circular pipes supplying liquid to the upper surface of the dome and an elevation of a small section of the truss supporting the dome.

Like letters refer to like parts the several views.

A are the walls of the combined building and water-tower.

a a are vertical pipes forming a part of the walls A. The pipes a, a are built into the walls A in the same manner and are of the same kind as pipes at a; but the different connections, hereinafter set forth, made with pipes a CL from those made with pipes a a adaptthem to serve a different purposeto wit, pipes at a, forming a part of the supply system for the conveying of water to the top of the dome and pipes at a forming apart of the discharge system for conveying such water from the dome, both of such pipes being, however, supply-pipes in relation to the purpose of the device as a Water-tower, the dome and the display of water thereon becoming an incident thereto.

a? are pipes extending horizontally from the throughout foot of vertical pipes u. a outward therefrom and to the fountain, building, or body of wa' ter designed to be supplied with water from my combined building and water-tower.

13 is the dome of the structure. The external part of dome B is composed of plates of glass 1) l), which are set in frame 0.

D are circular pipes extending around the dome l3 underneath the external surface thereof, and are connected with the vertical pipes a a l hereinafter described, so as to receive liquid from such vertical pipes.

D are short pipes from pipes D D to the upper surface of the dome 13, forming openings for the discharge of the contents of the pipes D D upon the outer-surface of the dome.

(Z (Z are arches or trusses, upon which the circular pipes D D rest. Arches (Z d, in combination with the circular pipes D D, form the support of the dome B.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be observed that that portion of the frame 0 forming rings extendinghorizontallyaround the dome above the surface of the glass 1) Z) thereof offers an impediment to liquid falling over and down such dome 15.

E E E are structures mounted upon the dome near the center thereof, and represent each the hull of a sailing-vessel or that part of a hull of a sailing-vessel above the waterline when a sailing-vessel is floating upon the water.

I is a vertical pipe in the center of the building.

G G are pumps.

9 g are pipes extending from pumps G G to vertical pipes a a'.

g g are pipes extending from pumps G G to vertical pipe F.

II II are pipes extending from vertical pipe F to the circular pipes D I).

ll II are pipes extending from vertical pipes a a to one or all of the circular pipes DD, as preferred.

I I are elevators near the center of the building and J J are elevators near the circular wall of the building.

J is a column formed by a casing surrou uding the standing pipes h and elevators I I. Column J is designed to serve as a cover around the elevators I I and vertical pipe F mainly; but there is illustrated a gallery J secured thereto in Figs. 2 and 3.

J is a gallery supported by the wall A.

K is a body of watersurrounding the building, and from which pipes may extend to the pumps, whereby such pumps may be supplied with water. It will be observed that when the pipes a a extend to this bodyK of water the water will make simply a circuit from the body K into the pipes connected with the pumps, up such pipes, out upon the outer surface of the dome 13, down the pipes to (I, out through pipes a a and back to the body of water K.

L is a shield, serving as a kind of collect- Maser ing-gutterfor the water falling over and down the dome l5 and guiding it to the pipes a a. This shield L also serves as a shade or shield, back of which may be placed lights of any kind for illuminating the promenade M, which extends around the building at the base of the dome B.

The manner of the operation of my device is as follows: Pumps G G are actuated, and vertical pipes a a and F, with the connectingpipes ll, ll, and D I) are thereby filled with water. Further pumping of water by 'hese pumps G G causes a discharge thereof from the top of the pipe 1 and from the pipes a a, and from the connecting-pipes H, H, and I) 1), through discharge-pipes D D, to the outer surface of the dome B. Dome B is constructed so as to be water-tight, and such water so pumped upon the outer surface thereof will fall or run over and down the dome into the collectors L L, and from thence will flow into vertical pipes at a. As the water falls over the dome 15 its movement is obstructed and impeded by that part of frame 0 forming horizontal circular rings extending around the dome and above the surface of the glass, and by supplying the proper amount of water through the pumps G G and the oomiectingpipes a con'iparatively even sheet of water may be made to extend over the entire outer surface of the dome B, in appearance at least, and the structures E E E will have the appearance of sailing-vessels floating in water. The water falling from the dome l5 and guided thereby into the stand-pipes a a will, if not allowed to escape through pipes a 0, fill or partially fill such stand-pipes, and may be conveyed through these pipes (1. (L2 to the place or places where it is desired to use it. All the advantages obtained at the point of delivery of water from an ordinary stand-pipe containing water of the same height as is the Water in these stand-pipes will be thus attained.

It is evident that I do not limit myself to the precise number of vertical pipes illustrated in the drawings, and that a greater or less number of such vertical pipes may be placed in the central column. of the building, or in the outer wall, or as many distributingpipcs in the roof thereof, and that such of these vertical pipes may be employed for forcing water to the dome of the building as are necessary, and such for the delivery of water from such dome or for standpipes as desired.

The dome constructed of glass plates set in the frame (I, as described, so that wateror other liquid upon the outer surface of the dome and flowing over it may be viewed from within the building, and also that the cooling eifect of the flowing water may be utilized in lowering the temperature of the interior of the building during the summer season of the year. At the same time the dome is watertight, so that no liquid shall fall within the building.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In acombined building and water-tower, vertical pipes forming a portion of the walls of the building, such pipes adapted to convey water up or down therein, a vertical pipe in the center of the building, a dome resting upon the walls and upon the central vertical pipe, circular pipes extending horizontally around the dome, pipes extending from the horizontal circular pipes to the outer surface of the dome, and other pipes connecting with the vertical central pipe and with some of the vertical pipes in the wall of the'building, whereby water may be forced through such last-named Vertical pipes out upon the outer surface of the dome, and extending over the surface of the dome be collected in the other of the vertical pipes in the wall of the buildin g, and passing through such last-named vertical pipes be conveyed from the base of the dome and from the building, substantially as described.

2. In a combined building and water-tower, vertical pipes forming a portion of the walls of the building, such pipes adapted to con-v vey water up or down therein, a like vertical pipe in the center of the building, a dome resting upon the wall and upon the central vertical pipe of the building, such dome being composed of plates of glass supported in a frame, and such frame having horizontal rings above the outer surface of the glass extending around the dome, circular pipes extending horizontally around the dome and having discharge-pipes extending therefrom to the outer surface of the dome, and also .having connectingpipes extending to the vertical pipe in the center of the building and to some of the Vertical pipes in the wall of the building, pumps connecting with such vertical pipes, and a collec ting-shield for guiding water from the base of the dome into the other vertical pipes in the wall of the building, whereby water may be forced upon the outer surface of the dome, extend over such dome to the base thereof, and be viewed from within the building through the glass portion of the dome as it flows over it, and be conveyed from the building through some of the vertical pipes in the wall of the building, substantially as described.

3. In a combined building and water-tower, vertical pipes adapted to form supply and waste-water pipes forming a portion of the walls of the building, vertical supply-pipes in the center of the building, a dome resting upon the walls of the building and upon the central pipe, structures resting upon the dome representing a portion of the hull of sailingvessels, circular pipes extending horizontally around the dome and'having discharge-pipes extending therefrom to the outer surface of the dome, and also having supply-pipes extending to the vertical supplypipes, and pumps connected with the vertical supplypipes, whereby water may be forced upon the outer surface of the dome, extend over such dome to the base thereof, and be conveyed therefrom, and thereby an appearance may be given such structures similar to the appearance of sailing vessels floating upon water, substantially as described.

WILLIAM FITZROY SMITH.

Witnesses:

FLORA L. BROWN, CHARLES T. BROWN. 

